


Control

by Geonn



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F, Friends to Lovers, Missing Scene, Pre-Relationship, Romance, Werewolves
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-18
Updated: 2012-10-18
Packaged: 2017-11-16 14:17:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,757
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/540353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Geonn/pseuds/Geonn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What happens between Red's realization of who she is and Snow's life of crime?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Control

**Author's Note:**

> A story written with full acceptance it can and probably will be fully Jossed before too long. This pairing just needs more love.

Red didn't even seem to look as she barreled through the woods, taking one swift step to the side to avoid a tree and then resuming her blind path through the false darkness. The moon was three-quarters full, a fact that made it easier to see and made Red harder to follow.

Snow had the handicap of actually trying to protect herself, ducking to avoid branches and looking for roots and vines that might result in a twisted ankle, so she quickly fell behind. The gap between them grew, a red hood and a white cloak, Snow occasionally calling her friend's name to no avail. The distance between them was steadily becoming so great that Snow knew Red would get away from her.

Snow stopped walking. "Would you stop being such a stubborn little girl and just _talk_ to me?"

Red stopped walking. Snow exhaled with relief and caught up with her at a slower pace. She put her hand on Red's arm and made her turn around to face her. Red's eyes were filled with tears she was trying to keep under control until she was alone, the tip of her nose pink from constantly running the back of her hand under it. Now she sniffled, and Snow held out a small white handkerchief. Part white flag, part peace offering, Red stared at it for a moment before she took it. She turned away to blow her nose and then used a dry part of the cloth to dry her eyes.

"I need to be out here. With the other animals."

"You're not an animal. You're..." Her eyebrows rose and her eyes drifted to her right as she tried to think of a word that didn't sound derogatory.

Red shook her head. "I'm cursed. I killed..." Her voice cracked and her eyes filled again. Snow stepped forward and she batted her hands away. "No! Don't touch me. I killed Peter, but I won't kill you. I can't lose you, too."

"Oh, Red." Snow let some pity creep into her voice as she brushed the other girl's hair out of her face. "Do you really think you could take me?"

Red's eyes flashed with surprise, then widened, and then her lips curled up into a reluctant smile.

"Ah, there it is." Snow smiled back. "I knew you still had that in there somewhere. Now your Granny figured out how to control the wolf when she was cursed. Let her teach you. We'll both help you. What you are doesn't change _who_ you are. You're stronger than the wolf. I knew that when we first started hunting it, and nothing has changed. The only difference now is that we'll have to tame it rather than kill it. I for one am up for the challenge." She brushed her thumb over Red's cheek and a few tears rolled free. Snow brushed away the trails and then leaned in to press her lips softly against Red's cheek.

"Come on. You have to be cold out here even in that hood. Let's go back."

Red nodded and slipped her hand into Snow's, letting herself be led back out of the woods through which she had just run so carelessly.

#

Granny's strategy was to hide the wolf, to restrain it with the hood and continue with life. Red had other ideas. "It became part of Granny, but it was a part of me when I was born." She and Snow were in the chicken coop, one of the few places they could get true privacy for their conversations. She tossed another handful of seed and moved to the next pen. "I don't want to deny a part of myself. I want to learn to control it, if I can."

"Do you think that's possible?" Snow asked, genuinely curious.

"With your help...? Yes. Granny won't approve of it, so we'll have to be very careful."

Snow scoffed. "Hey, I wrote the book on sneaking. You think I'm afraid of some old woman, you're in for a surprise."

"Oh, really?"

Snow's eyes widened, her skin going even whiter until her lips and pupils were the only color left in her face. She spun toward the door and spotted Granny staring at her. Arms crossed, lips pursed, eyes dark with anger, Granny tapped her foot once and then lifted her chin as if inviting a swing. 

"I-I was... I was just... I didn't mean any disrespect. I was just--"

"Set out the dishes for breakfast?"

"Yes, Granny," Snow murmured, hurrying out of the coop past Granny.

Granny watched her go, then turned to Red. They were silent and stoic until they heard the house door slap shut. Then Granny smiled, and Red tossed some seed at her feet.

"You're so mean."

"We old women have to get our laughs where we can," Granny sighed and began to gather the eggs. "Are you really thinking of trying to control the wolf? It's a mindless beast with only one thing on its mind."

"So are men, and wives tame them all the time."

"You've been spending too much time with that girl. Nothing but sass now, I swear." She gestured in the direction Snow had fled. "Women and men have had ages to learn how to tame each other. You try that with the wolf, it'll break more than your heart. But... if you're bound and determined to try, at least you'll have someone to watch over you. And she's good with weapons. If that's necessary. She can fight you off without... without causing too much damage."

Red nodded. "So I have your blessing?"

"Well, you're going to do it anyway... might as well be on your side if you need my help."

Red put down the bowl of seed and hugged her. "Thank you."

"Just be safe, okay?"

"I will. I promise."

#

"What does it feel like?"

"I don't know," Red said softly. They were lying together in the field, staring at the sky as it darkened. They were waiting for the moon to trigger Red's change. Everything became important; an itch at the back of her leg, the hungry growl of her stomach, the dryness of her palms. The questions were becoming an irritation. She knew Snow was only trying to help, and that only made her angrier. Maybe that was a symptom of the change. Once more, for the fifth time in as many minutes, Red lifted her hands and searched them for signs of hair growth.

Snow rolled onto her front, propping herself up on her elbows. "Maybe we don't have to tame the wolf. Maybe we just have to make sure you remember who you are after the change. It's not like the wolf is a completely different entity. It's still you. It's just you using a different part of your mind. So if you can change with the proper mindset, then it stands to reason you can control the wolf as naturally as you control your own body."

"But how? I've changed a lot, but I've never remembered it."

"Really? Nothing? Weird dreams or flashes of memory that don't make sense?"

Red pondered. "Sometimes I dream of running through the woods."

"Not dream. Remember." She sat up and motioned for Red to do the same. She took Red's hands and squeezed them. "When you feel the change coming, you just have to hold onto a special moment. Something you'll remember."

"Like what?"

"You know, the big things. Your first kiss."

Red smirked. "I've already had my first kiss."

Snow dismissed the argument with a shake of her head. "Just focus, okay? That one moment, that special and perfect moment that kept it solid in your mind. There was nothing special about that moment, no magic in it except for the magic you created. So just breathe deeply." She demonstrated; Red mimicked. 

"I... I think I feel someth-- ah..." She hissed and hunched forward. "It's happening... run!"

Snow reached for the chains. They had been pre-set, so all Snow had to do was loop them around Red's body and pull them tight. Ruby's hands were pinned to her sides and she lifted her head, teeth bared and eyes golden. 

"Please, Snow... _run_."

"Remember who you are. And remember the magic of the first time you kissed someone you truly cared about." Snow leaned in and pressed her lips to Red's. They both kept their eyes open, Red out of necessity and Snow so that Ruby would know she wasn't hiding or recoiling or frightened. 

She pulled away just before Red finished transforming, her wolf form twisting and pulling at the chains. Snow fell back on her rear and used her palms to scramble out of the wolf's reach. Tiny pebbles dug into her palms without breaking the skin and she kicked up divots in the dirt in her attempt to flee. The wolf hunched down, twisted, pulled, and freed itself from the chains. Snow yelped with fright, and the wolf lunged at her.

Snow squeezed her eyes shut and then, a moment later, felt the soft brush of a tongue on her cheek. 

Warily she opened one eye, then the other. The wolf was standing astride her, eyes golden and intelligent. It huffed and dipped its head once, then twice, then pressed its forehead against Snow's. Snow exhaled sharply, laughed with relief, and put her arms around the wolf's neck.

"Hey there, Red. So very nice to see you." She embraced the wolf, digging her fingers into the soft coat, and smiled happily at the docile beast her friend had turned into. "Well now. Looks like we've made a lot of progress already. Now all we have to do is train you to change back and forth whenever you want."

The wolf snorted.

"Yeah, well, if I wanted an easy life I would have stayed a princess. Now get off me. We have a lot of work to do before Granny accepts you've been trained."

The wolf retreated and Snow stood up. She brushed the dirt from her backside, and started across the field. When she looked back, the wolf was trotting along in her wake. Snow smiled and faced forward again. They did have a long road ahead of them, but she'd always admired the tutors her father had gotten for her at the palace. She'd always wondered if she would have made a good tutor to children, and now she had her chance to prove it.

She was fortunate; she had a feeling she was blessed with a good student.


End file.
